®

The language of agriculture.®

agX® PlatformOur Platform. Your Application.

agX® is the world’s most sophisticated agricultural spatial data repository, complete with the standardization of rules, reference content, and APIs needed to move the farming industry forward.

Th e agX Platform is the foundation for the future of agriculture.

CHANGE IS COMING

Precision agriculture is poised to hit a tipping point. Recognizing the benefi ts of spatial analysis that extend beyond a mere map, ag news headlines speak of the needs for industry-wide data standardization and new coalitions formed to pursue such goals.

Quietly, in the university town of Stillwater, Oklahoma, one of the fi rst players in the precision ag fi eld began addressing the standardization issues facing spatial analysis 15 years ago. Today, SST Software o ers the industry agX®, a sophisticated geo-spatial platform handling precision ag data on tens of millions of acres. The agX Platform provides the spatial infrastructure needed to move the entire agricultural industry forward.

SST Software‘s home offi ce in Stillwater, Oklahoma. SST has fi ve branch offi ces in the United States and international offi ces in Australia and Brazil.

The most pressing issue facing the fourth revolution of modern day agriculture is infrastructure—SPATIAL INFRASTRUCTURE.

©2014 All Rights Reserved | SST Development Group, Inc.

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TABLE OFCONTENTS

>> State of the Industry: The Four Revolutions of Modern Day Ag ....................................... 04

>> Guiding Principles of agX: The Concepts Behind a Proven Solution ............................. 06

>> Data Schemas: Defi ning the Language of Agriculture ............................................................ 08

>> The Small Problem of Big Data ................................................................................................... 09

>> Standardization: Creating Spatial Infrastructure: Part 1 ............................................................. 10

>> The Standardization Solution ........................................................................................................... 11

>> A Central Data Repository: Creating Spatial Infrastructure: Part 2 .....................................12

>> Data Exchange: Dirt Roads vs. Super Highways. .........................................................................13

>> agX APIs: Portals to Integration ............................................................................................................ 14

>> Third Party Apps: Our Platform. Your Application. . .................................................................... 16

>> The Next Ag Marketplace: Integration of Expertise.. ................................................................17

>> agX Platform Overview. ....................................................................................................................... 18

>> The SST Software Advantage ......................................................................................................... 19

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The Fourth RevolutionThe fourth revolution of modern day agriculture,

commonly known as “precision ag,” was made

possible by the Global Positioning System (GPS)

and Geographic Information System (GIS) software.

This combination of technologies allowed us to

site-specifi cally record, identify, and measure

in-fi eld trends. The genre of this technology was

di erent because it was information-based, not

brawn-based. Information products do not make

a farm manager more e ective but rather more

e cient. Being e cient means a job is executed

in the best possible manner in order to achieve

maximum productivity. Herein lies the uniqueness

of site-specifi c technology—it arms one with the

information necessary to maximize the potential

made possible by the prior three agricultural

revolutions.

The First Three RevolutionsIn years past, the farmer and his beast of burden

would slowly plow a fi eld. Then a revolutionary

technology came to be—the tractor. This

mechanized element of strength increased a

grower’s e ectiveness many times over when

executing farm operations. Following the

mechanical revolution, e ectiveness gained

additional boosts when technological leaps

occurred in chemistry, leading to better nutrient

and crop protection products, and in biology, with

the introduction of genetically improved strains

of seed. Plants became hardier and well-fed while

pesticides kept threats at bay. Each of these three

revolutions—mechanical, chemical, and bio-

genetic—radically increased our farm productivity

with the average corn yield becoming fi ve times

greater today than it was in the 1930’s.

STATE OFTHE INDUSTRY

As the precision ag industry moves forward, it is quickly approaching the crossroads of irony. While the evolution of cultivation technologies made farmers more eff ective, precision ag made farmers more effi cient. Distinguishing between the two is critical. Eff ectiveness is about brawn. Effi ciency is about brains. Eff ectiveness is found in the realm of execution. Effi ciency lies within the management decisions that precede the execution of activity. Yet many precision ag programs require vast amounts of personnel resources—human brawn at the keyboard to support information management programs. Fragmentation and a lack of standardization make many precision ag off erings ineffi cient. Th erein lies the irony that has begun to hamper the industry’s progress. Th e agX Platform off ers a holistic solution of effi ciency for the entire agriculture market that provides effi cient integration and data exchange while addressing the concerns of data privacy and security.

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in the realization that moving forward depends on

the issues of data standardization and security.

New initiatives and coalitions are being promoted

that state what will be built

to overcome these barriers to

progress.

The agX SolutionSST Software’s core

expertise is the structure and

management of spatial data as it relates to the

agriculture industry. The foundational philosophy

that precision ag was a spatial problem with an

agronomic application led SST to begin addressing

issues such as standardization and data security

over 15 years ago. SST’s work has evolved into

a robust, spatial data repository, along with

sophisticated permission settings, APIs, and

automated processes, collectively referred to as

the agX Platform. This platform creates a spatial

infrastructure for bridging precision ag hardware

and software o erings throughout the industry.

agX is the foundation for the most successful

precision ag programs in the industry. Moreover,

the agX Platform provides solutions to the

current issues publicized by the industry as well

as solutions to issues that new initiatives have

yet to address. The following pages will present

the foundational principles that guided the

development of agX and the solutions it provides

to move the entire agricultural industry forward.

The impact of precision ag continues to distinguish

it from the prior revolutions. Although the

products generated from the fi rst three—tractors,

fertilizers, pesticides,

and seed—interact on

the farm, their innovative

evolutions remained

fairly independent from

one another. The impact

from the fourth revolution

is distinctly di erent. Precision ag is becoming

the puppet master that is defi ning product

development and application across numerous

sectors of agriculture.

Current State of the IndustryThe unique role of precision ag and its future

impact across the market have been recognized

by industry leaders and farmers alike. Both see

the value in leveraging big data, along with the

possibilities of abuse. However, precision ag

has remained largely fragmented and confi ned

within specifi c seasonal practices, namely fertility

management, yield analysis, and variable rate

seeding.

The uptick in interest for utilizing temporal layers

of spatial data, such as weather and remote

sensing, to evaluate the current condition of a

crop continues to fuel the demand for a holistic

precision ag platform. Past e orts made by industry

leaders have resulted in hundreds of millions of

dollars being allocated to programs that ultimately

failed. These industry leaders are now turning to

data scientists to guide their next attempt, resulting

HEREIN LIES THE UNIQUENESS OF SITE-

SPECIFIC TECHNOLOGY—IT ARMS ONE WITH

THE INFORMATION NECESSARY TO MAXIMIZE

THE POTENTIAL MADE POSSIBLE BY THE PRIOR

THREE AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTIONS.

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It has been said that without principles, one is like

a ship without a rudder that will change direction

with every shifting wind. Four core principles have

guided the evolution of agX—standardization,

synchronization, automation, and communication.

Though SST as an organization did not always

possess clarity on how these concepts would

extend beyond our own software applications,

by refusing to compromise these principles, we

have strategically positioned agX to become the

underlying spatial database platform for the entire

agriculture industry.

A brief introduction of each principle follows with

subsequent pages revisiting the complexity of each

concept from the realm of a spatial database, as

well as industry-wide, on-farm use.

Standardization: In order for multiple applications

to collect and share data on a consistent basis, all

data must be collected in a standardized format.

This standardization includes reference data as

well as spatial records, such as fi eld boundaries.

Synchronization: Synchronization with a central

data repository ensures that all data collected is

in adherence to agX standards and is available for

sharing among all agX compliant applications in a

seamless manner.

Automation: Once standardization and

synchronization are in place, repetitive human

interaction may be replaced with an e cient

automated processing of pre-defi ned tasks and the

creation of new algorithms based o of third party

o erings.

Communication: The prior principles make possible

the communication of necessary data among all

agX compliant software end users who have an

interest on a particular fi eld. This communication is

safe-guarded on a fi eld-basis through data-specifi c

permission settings.

Guiding Principles of agX THE CONCEPTS BEHIND A PROVEN SOLUTION

Standardization, Synchronization, Automation, and Communication—these have become our guiding principles for the development of the agX Platform, enabling us to provide a proven solution to the challenges facing precision agriculture today.

PRINCIPLE 2SYNCHRONIZATION

PRINCIPLE 1STANDARDIZATION

PRINCIPLE 3AUTOMATION

PRINCIPLE 4COMMUNICATION

agX Principles

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TEAMWORK REQUIRES COMMUNICATION

Growers, agronomists, service providers, seed salesmen, GIS specialists, insurance agents—multiple parties and technologies are involved during the crop production cycle. Standardization, synchronization, and automation enable communication of need-to-know information between parties that have a working relationship concerning a particular fi eld.

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Two things will doom an agricultural GIS from the

outset—lack of expertise and haste. The former

is naïve to the factors which link how production

farming is executed in the fi eld with how that data

can be consumed and processed. The latter ignores

the architecture and rules that must be set in place

(spatial and content standardization) for a truly

scalable, industry-wide platform.

At the core of agX are the schemas. This database

architecture begins to defi ne the “language of

agriculture.” The motivation behind the design

of agX schemas came from the success pains

SST experienced by operating within a restrictive,

desktop-based system. Soon after the turn of the

century, SST Software’s requests for processed

acres began to increase exponentially. Employees

worked seven days a week to process the requests

yet still struggled to keep up.

Building on the past years of experience, SST’s

system architects returned to the drawing board

to create an e cient solution to meet the growing

demand. The result was FarmRite®, a cloud-

based, automated processing engine that works

in conjunction with the desktop application SST

Summit®. Today, FarmRite processes more acres

by mid-morning than a roomful of employees

processed in one month, working 12-hour days,

seven days a week.

Though the necessity of automation was a driving

force for the creation of what would become the

agX Platform, SST’s focus on combining multiple

spatial and temporal layers of farm data to create

new information products guided the architecture

of the underlying schemas. Though only a few

players in the industry realized the future potential

of “Big Data“ to assist both farmers and ag service

providers, our mentality toward aggregate analysis

across multiple fi elds and seasons necessitated

strict rules for data collection on many levels.

As an example, for advanced analysis to be

possible, the crop, seed company, hybrid/variety,

and seeding rate must be known. This data must

be collected in a standardized format across all

fi elds and structured so that the relationships

of each attribute are understood. Without the

use of pre-defi ned picklists to aid on-farm data

collection, removing intense human interaction in

order to standardize collected data becomes all but

impossible.

The following pages will look at the types of

standardization necessary to ensure the success of

an agricultural spatial data repository.

DATA SCHEMASDEFINING THE LANGUAGE OF AGRICULTURE

Space and time—they are the underlying metadata which defi ne the blueprint of an agricultural Geographic Information System (GIS). Th e logic of how data are structured and the physical capacities of how it is stored are the two critical factors that will determine the longevity of precision ag off erings. If the proper rules are not defi ned at the outset, spatial and temporal analysis will be critically hampered.

In order for a big data ag platform to be a

success, two levels of understanding must

guide its development. The fi rst is a 30,000

foot view of future potential and value. The

second is a fi eld level understanding of farming.

First, the platform providers must have an idea

of what kinds of information products may

be generated via aggregate analysis that will

aid crop production, minimize fi nancial risk,

lessen environmental impact, and encourage

the creation of new markets wtihin the

industry. This part comes easily and with much

excitement.

Second, the platform providers must have an

intimate understanding of the farming process

and the spatial data that is collected. This is

the oft ignored, di cult part that will lead to the

downfall of big data e orts.

Proposed big data e orts that aim to compete

with agX do not think small enough. Most

farm data will be correlated back to yield

and as-applied data, which consist of small

(approximately 20x8 foot) swaths across a fi eld.

It is these small, defi ning polygons to which

other data must statistically adhere. Big data

companies that are accustomed to interpolating

data based on miles must think smaller or they

will quickly be shunned by the industry.

THE SMALL PROBLEMOF BIG DATA

20x8

10

While proper data schemas are valuable in their

own right, without standardization across inputs,

the ability to process vast amounts of data into

valuable information products will be severely

hampered. Furthermore, without standardization,

any notion of a central spatial data repository

becomes little more than an online storage service.

Standardization must be addressed for reference

data and spatial standards. Guidelines enforcing

standardization are what ultimately allow multiple

applications to collect and share data on a

consistent basis, ensure that quality data are

collected, protect against multiple datasets on the

same geography, and make aggregate analysis

possible.

Surrounding the core layer of schemas, the second

layer of the agX Platform is composed of reference

data that covers all operations occurring across

a production agriculture fi eld. Due to its dynamic

nature, the reference data is updated on a daily

basis with database updates released about

30 times a year. Most of the catalogued data

corresponds with the United States and Canada,

with rapid progress being made in Australia, Brazil,

and South Africa.

Through the agX Content API, agX compliant

companies are able to have users select inputs

from standardized picklists instead of manually

inputting data. Be it a crop scouting collection app,

soil test lab, or in-cab yield monitor, everyone who

is agX compliant collects data in a uniform manner.

Spatial standards must also govern an industry-

wide platform. agX compliant partners concur that

production agriculture is inherently spatial and

should be treated as such. That means that all data

is collected in a geo-spatial manner.

agX sets forth spatial rules that ensure quality

spatial data is maintained. Spatial integrity starts at

the most basic level, the fi eld boundary, to ensure

that boundary polygons do not intersect, overlap,

or have bowties. Other rules govern polygon record

collection as well as adherence to ESRI shapefi le

specifi cations.

Rules that defi ne spatial integrity are extended to

fi eld boundary identifi cation, grower identifi cation,

boundary hierarchy, permission settings, and the

intersection of data with fi eld boundaries.

STANDARDIZATIONCREATING SPATIAL INFRASTRUCTURE: STEP ONE

Th e ability to display a map of raw collected data often plays a game of smoke and mirrors with true GIS functionality. Because other precision ag platforms lack standardization, moving beyond a mere map in order to extract valuable information becomes an intensely manual process. Many companies are just now standing at the bridge SST Software crossed 15 years ago.

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THE STANDARDIZATIONSOLUTION

Standardization is in the DNA of agX. Th is concept was understood over 15 years ago and has evolved into a set of defi ned rules that must be adhered to in order to benefi t from an industry-wide spatial data repository.

MILLION UNIQUE ACRES

Over 90 million unique acres are currently agX compliant with an average of one million new acres added per month. Th e fi eld boundaries that govern these acres are assigned a Globally Unique Identifi cation (GUID) number that associates data to that specifi c fi eld. Diff erent parties with a common interest on a fi eld (fertility management, crop scouting, harvesters, insurance agents, etc.) may access the common fi eld boundary, apply collected data, and share the data through various permission settings. When a fi eld boundary is edited, the edits are applied across all systems so that all parties continue to share a common defi nition of a fi eld boundary.

THOUSAND REFERENCE ITEMS

Was the tillage method recorded as a “disk” or “disc?” How were the varieties of planting recorded: “Dekalb 60-09” or “DK6009” or “DKC 60 09?” Small nuances are a major hindrance to a database. agX Content is a database of nearly 100,000 farm operations, tasks, and task attributes, providing users with standardization across crop inputs, planting, scouting operations, pest control, harvesting, and much more. agX Content ensures that data is collected in a uniform way across multiple parties and from season-to-season. Via the agX Content API, manufacturers of software and hardware applications can utilize the agX reference database.

+93 +96agX Common Field Boundary agX Content

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The transfer of data from system to system has

long been a pain point of precision farming.

Import/Export formats frequently change; there

is no adherence to spatial or content standards;

and some organizations unsuccessfully attempt to

retain users with closed-system formats.

Recent API integrations between partnering

companies have helped speed up data exchange

between applications. Though API integration

seems superior to manually exchanging a stand-

alone data fi le, the expanding API web will soon

burden the industry‘s progress. In order to share

data seamlessly between users and applications,

the industry needs a central spatial data repository

that organizes and stores spatial data.

The agX Central Spatial Repository ensures that

all data is both standardized and in sync with

compliant users and applications. Without both

spatial and content standardization, syncing data

between systems will remain tedious, and a central

repository will become little more than an online

storage facility.

A central spatial data repository addresses the

issues of standardization, provides safe storage and

security of fi eld information, and protects against

third-party abuse.

Governing the data repository are user-based

permission settings. The administrators of data

layers (fertility, planting, scouting, as-applied, yield,

etc.) can specify what users or algorithms may

access, view, edit, or share layers of data. This

means growers can allow organizations to access

parts of their data for product calculations without

exposing their data to abuse.

A central spatial data repository ensures that

all users are accessing a synchronized data set.

When a change is made on a fi eld, such as an

edited fi eld boundary, that change is synced

across all users and devices that have a working

interest on that fi eld. In an industry that preaches

the goal of information analytics but remains one

of fragmented datasets, the agX Central Spatial

Repository is the only viable solution to the market.

CENTRAL SPATIAL REPOSITORYCREATING SPATIAL INFRASTRUCTURE: STEP TWO

Collect data. Structure data. Access data. Analyze data. Th e fi rst and last—collection and analysis—will forge innovation and generate many industry-wide product off erings. However, data structure and access must conform to a central spatial repository that ensures standardization and permission-based synchronization across all collection and analysis applications.

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NON-CENTRALIZED API WEB

Th ere are industry eff orts that propose each company in the market share data through open APIs. While the initial data exchange seems superior to using USB thumb drives, the improvement complicates an existing problem. By each company creating independent APIs, the resulting web of APIs may entangle users and software developers in a frustrating and unusable solution. Without standardization, every API transaction would require human interaction to address spatial integrity issues, and data synchronization would be severely hampered.

CENTRAL SPATIAL REPOSITORY

agX incorporates a central spatial repository. agX compliant partners use the agX APIs to synchronize data to and from the central repository. Th is ensures that all data is standardized both spatially and in regard to content. When an application needs a particular type of data (yield, weather, fertility, etc.), that data is already available within the system. Access to that data is dependent on permission settings set in place by the administrator of the data. Th is one-to-many approach drastically reduces development overhead and human interaction.

Data Exchange: Dirt Roads vs. Super HighwaysWhere there is solid infrastructure, there is progress.

Current integration techniques are akin to traveling down a dirt road. Th e journey is slow and bumpy. Standardization supporting a central repository plays a key role in creating the infrastructure for a spatial super highway. Th is spatial super highway allows for quick and easy integration among users and devices, thus creating a digital ecosystem for a precision ag application marketplace.

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In order for multiple software providers to collect and store data in a standardized manner the agX Platform provides a host of APIs. Th ese APIs facilitate the collection and management of data across independent applications. Th e security protocols and user-based permission settings govern what data may be accessed by an application or specifi c user.

Standardization from fi eld-to-fi eld and season-to-season is maintained by applications accessing the agX Content API. This API not only contains reference data for corresponding with the core data schemas but also defi nes standards pertaining to structure of fi eld operations, tasks, and task attributes. Now pushing over 100,000 reference entries, new content updates are published every few weeks. Currently, content covers the United States and Canada, with rapid progress being made in Australia, Brazil, and South Africa.

agX Content API

APIs

agX APIsPORTALS TO INTEGRATION

When a fi eld boundary is created or edited, it is assigned a globally unique identifi cation

(GUID) with a corresponding time stamp. The Common Field Boundary (CFB) API

standardizes boundaries by allowing agX compliant applications to work from the same

boundary fi le. If a boundary is edited, the edits are applied across all applications. The

CFB ensures spatial integrity by not allowing fi elds to be added that have bow ties or

break other basic polygon rules.

agX Common Field Boundary API

All applications that are agX compliant use the agX Sync API to synchronize fi eld data

with the central repository. The agX Sync API is the gatekeeper that ensures data

standards are being maintained while adhering to strict, permission-based security

protocols.

agX Sync API

®

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FarmRite® is the automated data processing engine used for the production of high-

end analysis and information reports. Because FarmRite acts as an “IP Vault,” security

is provided for both the service provider and farmer. The sophistication that makes

FarmRite possible is the central spatial data repository governed by the standardization

protocols of agX Content, agX Common Field Boundaries, and agX Sync. FarmRite

has successfully processed tens of millions of acres of nutrient applications, seeding

recommendations, and statistical information reports.

FarmRite API

The Megasurface API provides a solution for third party applications that wish to

utilize agX yet perform spatial analysis and create recommendations within their own

application environment. Using the Megasurface API, a developer can request specifi c

data elements (soil types, fertility, NDVI, yield, etc.) at a defi ned resolution. agX will then

pass a surface containing the requested data that can run on a third party application.

When the third party application has performed the analysis on the megasurface and

created new recommendations, the new surfaces may be passed back to the agX spatial

data repository. By implementing the Megasurface API, organizations are relieved

from the overhead of developing a sophisticated GIS engine yet may still o er valuable

analysis applications to the industry.

Megasurface API

Enterprise Data Services (EDS) allows corporate IT to access collected data for use in

their custom backend environments. This high-end solution uses Amazon Web Services

(AWS) to extract and transfer data to a third-party enterprise environment. Legal and

technical contracts specify the accessible types of data, how users grant access to their

data, and the frequency of data transfer. The data transfer protocol is communicated

through XML schema using the Well-Known Text (WKT) geospatial markup language.

Enterprise Data Services API

Other agX APIs in planned or various development phases are the agX Weather API for current, historical, and future crop modeling; the agX Communication Wall API for in-app interaction between various parties; and the Spatial Algorithmic Marketing (SAM) API for manufacturers to present product solutions when pre-defi ned environmental, biophysical, and agronomic conditions are met on the fi eld.

agX Imagery APIThe agX Imagery API allows users of an application to order on-demand multispectral

imagery from pre-approved imagery providers on a fi eld specifi c basis. Once an imagery

provider is selected and acquisition dates set, imagery is captured for the fi eld and

processed by the acquirer for multispectral products such as true-color, color infrared,

and NDVI. Processed imagery is then returned to the user‘s application via the agX Sync

API .

FarmRite® is the automated data processing engine used for the production of high-

end analysis and information reports. Because FarmRite acts as an “IP Vault,” security

is provided for both the service provider and farmer. The sophistication that makes

FarmRite possible is the central spatial data repository governed by the standardization

protocols of agX Content, agX Common Field Boundaries, and agX Sync. FarmRite

has successfully processed tens of millions of acres of nutrient applications, seeding

recommendations, and statistical information reports.

Data schemas, reference and spatial standards,

a central repository guarded by strict security

protocols and permission settings, APIs that not

only govern data standardization and exchange

but allow for automated agronomic processes—

this platform infrastructure will facilitate the next

generation of precision ag products and services.

No single precision ag software o ering, in and

of itself, can meet all the demands of the world’s

largest industry. Di erences in geography,

climate, crops, economy, governing laws, regional

approaches, and institutional traditions create

diversity from one agricultural program to another.

This diversity has become a hindrance to retailers

and ag service providers who are at the forefront of

applying precision ag techniques. However, these

industry leaders recognize not only the need for

customization but also the opportunity it creates.

Because the agX Platform acts as a spatial

super highway for data exchange, it creates

the opportunity for a marketplace of seamless

integration between product o erings. This allows

valuable niche products and service providers a

chance to gain exposure and use without incurring

massive infrastructure and startup costs.

With the barriers of time and cost for product

development drastically reduced, a new market

ecosystem for products and services is created.

This marketplace helps small companies gain

exposure whose marketing budgets may otherwise

leave them relatively unnoticed.

Because production agriculture is comprised

of a thousand niches and a million opinions,

the agX Platform enables service providers and

manufacturers to pursue the development of new

ideas and services with relatively low entry cost.

THIRD PARTY APPSOur Platform. Your Application.

Th e next big thing in precision ag is not variable rate seeding, weather, or drones. Th ough valuable, these components are simply part of the ongoing utilization of new data layers. Th e next radical evolution of precision ag is the ability for organizations, both small and large, to build customized applications that meet their specifi c needs and to seamlessly integrate those applications with others. Th is is made possible only through the spatial infrastructure provided via the agX Platform.

INTEGRATION OF EXPERTISE

THE NEXT AG MARKETPLACE

Th e following examples are situations of real companies with products and services that are either currently agX compliant or in the process.

17

User Interface. A small development organization specializes in building aesthetic user interface apps that display farm

operations on a “dashboard.” Becoming agX compliant allows them to concentrate on building beautiful user-interface applications

without the need for import/export formats or a robust GIS engine.

Scouting Reports. A top crop scouting organization creates a library of scouting reports that attracts the attention

of other scouting services. Th ey integrate an agX compliant application through which other scouting companies may purchase and

utilize their scouting report templates.

Service O erings. A small outfi t off ers regional soil sampling and imagery services. Being agX compliant means that

local growers and retailers are made aware of this service through the marketplace and can view ratings of past performance. When

agX compliant off erings need specifi c data types to complete their analysis, such as fertility or remote sensing imagery, a client may

order and schedule the services via local providers within the agX marketplace.

Niche Algorithms. A group of scientists specialize in water conservation using algorithms to correlate near infrared

imagery with plant water uptake and leaching. By integrating their equations into FarmRite’s IP logic vault, growers and service

providers may order an analysis on their fi elds if the necessary data layers are present.

Cross Company Algorithms. A university group creates a new company that specializes in the nitrogen

uptake of corn and creates in-season N recommendations for various growth stages. By integrating into their algorithms the new

leaching and uptake layers created from the previous example, growers or service providers may create advanced N recs for their

crops.

Hardware Controllers. When hardware controllers collect or apply farm operations, being agX compliant means

that the new layers of map data can be synced to the agX servers where pre-defi ned analytical processing of information products can

begin without tedious human interaction. Within minutes, growers and other service providers who have been granted permission

may view data reports of the fi elds within their agX compliant apps.

Insurance. A grower experiences crop damage from high winds. His insurance agent pulls up the farm and verifi es the

weather that intersected with the damaged fi elds. He then orders a color infrared aerial image of the damaged fi elds to help assess the

extent of damage. From his agX compliant app, the fi eld, imagery, and any necessary data is synced to the adjuster’s agX compliant

app. Th e adjuster verifi es that the imagery correctly shows approximately 40% of the crop has been severely damaged, and the report

is then seamlessly uploaded to the agency’s system for processing a payment.

Development Groups. Precision ag development groups of computer programmers who understand agriculture

and agX standards may off er development services to organizations who desire to develop agX compliant apps.

agX

Plat

form

PRI

MAR

Y LA

YERS

Reference Data

Central Repository

P

ermissions/Security

APIs

Schemas

Third Party Integrations

agX Platform Review

1. Spatial InfrastructureTh e fi rst layer of the agX Platform is comprised of data schemas. Th ese schemas are the “language of agriculture” that ensure we all share a common defi nition of farming operations and tasks. Associated with the schemas is a standardized database that supplies references for task attributes. Th e third layer is a central spatial data repository to which data records are synced and stored. Associated with this repository are spatial standards that ensure geospatial quality is maintained. Guarding the spatial repository are security protocols and permission settings that allow users to share data with trusted partners.

2. The Benefi tsTh e spatial infrastructure provided in the fi rst four layers of agX creates an environment for the automation of agronomic tasks such as fertilizer and seed recommendations. By anonymizing vast amounts of centrally located spatial data, insights can be generated that provide valuable insights for the farmer and his individual operation.

3. Third Party IntegrationA suite of agX APIs allow organizations to take advantage of the agX spatial infrastructure by integrating their own applications or custom equations for automated agronomic tasks. Via the APIs, third party applications may leverage SST Software’s existing customer base, standardized databases, automated task processing, and the future analytics engine.

4. Broad Market ExposureAn agX marketplace will allow applications to use and resell other applications. Th is provides broad market exposure and brings value to both the interface applications and the providers of equations for automated task processing.

A determining factor of an organization’s success is the premise from which it works to overcome an obstacle. From the beginning, SST Software believed that precision ag was inherently a spatial problem, that organizations should stay within their core competencies, and ultimately the farmer’s best interest must be kept in mind. Th ese premises, coupled with outstanding employees, have resulted in SST Software’s success.

THE SST SOFTWARE ADVANTAGE

When precision ag was barely more than a small

gathering of men exchanging ideas of what could

be, the founders of SST were there. Napkins

became whiteboards where ideas were sketched

to show the potential that GIS could bring to the

agricultural sector.

From the outset, SST insisted that precision

ag was inherently a spatial problem with an

agronomic application. Holding to this premise,

the company then acquired clients and strategic

partnerships with some of the industry‘s leading

crop consultancies, retailers, and service providers.

These partnerships guided SST‘s e orts in

developing features and applications that were

needed to best serve the farmer‘s interests.

Over the last two decades, SST has gained

credibility as the expert in structuring and

managing spatial data for the agriculture industry.

As its data framework, processes, and o erings

matured, infrastructure was formed that would

become known as “agX.”

Today, the agX Platform provides the spatial

infrastructure needed to support a digital

ecosystem of diverse, third party agricultural

applications. With existing clients spanning 23

countries and a proven record of automated task

processing across millions of acres, SST Software

believes its position as an existing market leader

will quicken the rate of adoption, making the agX

Platform the language of agriculture.

SST SOFTWARE STATS

20years in the

industry

Serving the Industry’s TopAg Service Providers

Clientsin 23

countries

90+million acres

fi eld boundaryfootprint

SST Software824 N. Country Club RoadStillwater, OK 74075(888) 377-5334www.sstsoftware.com

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